Delta State government has appealed to host communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas, (HOSTCOM) as well as its president general and community leaders to reconsider its decision and re-open the shut down oil facilities of Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) for operation.
The appeal was made yesterday by the deputy governor of Delta State, Kingsley Otuaro, in Warri, while addressing the Presidents-General and community chairmen of the various host communities on the lingering crisis between NPDC and HOSTCOM.
The state deputy governor noted that apart from the challenges between HOSTCOM and NPDC, oil companies are being saddled with a lot of internal issues owing to the reforms going on in the country today.
According to him, some of the issues with the oil companies like NPDC is not only as a result of not caring, and not complying to the MoU reached with host communities, he noted that there are larger issues ranging from, the company being located at distance far away from where the oil is being produced, issues where the producing people are not being part and parcel of the management of the company.
Otuaro noted that other underlying factors, “include where you have others who come to operate as management staff of a company and do things without actually knowing the impact of oil production and exploration of the communities.”
He noted that there have been serious problems with NPDC, since SPDC sold these facilities to NPDC, “We will continue to meet and seek ways to solving these problems. I want to assure that as a government we must try our very best to keep on solving these problems. Some of the basic issues that were topical for discussion are how we can put a final nail on this NPDC problem that is reoccurring every now and then,” he stated.
He urged the presidents general and community leaders to appreciate and identify with the efforts of government by coming together to seek ways and resolve the issues that is causing the anger and shut down of oil facilities.
“We have come a long way, we have a common future and together we must salvage this common future, you cannot do it alone and government cannot do it alone, so there is need to be a great synergy among us in order to move forward. While frantic efforts are being made at the top level to resolve these matters. The communities and government must work hand in hand until the issues are resolved,” he stated.
Earlier, Dr Edegware David, President-General, Igbide community, who spoke on behalf of the forum, noted that the communities decided to honour the state government and re-open the oil facilities after the last meeting with an agreement by NPDC that it will meet the agreement reached.